Batanes officials seeking gov’t help vs poaching

BAYOMBONG, Nueva Vizcaya, Philippines – The Batanes provincial government is seeking the help of the national government against poaching by foreigners, including Taiwanese fishermen, in its waters.

Batanes Gov. Vicente Gato said foreign vessels continue to intrude into the country’s northern waters amid lack of funding support to safeguard its maritime boundary.

Batanes is nearer to Taiwan’s Kaohsiung City than mainland Luzon. Apart from Taiwanese, Koreans, Chinese and Vietnamese have been arrested for illegal fishing off the island province.

Gato said some Vietnamese fishermen are still languishing in Batanes jail.

“This rampant poaching is the main problem of our administration as well as other coastal towns in Cagayan Valley, and something must be done to remedy this situation,” he said.

Resolve conflict peacefully

As this developed, a Taiwanese plant manager of a garment factory at the Freeport Area of Bataan (FAB) in Mariveles town appealed to the Philippine and Taiwanese governments to resolve the shooting of his compatriot by exhausting all diplomatic processes.

Samson Su, 58, plant manager of Fashion Textile 21, told The STAR that the unfortunate incident should be settled peacefully.

Su said he shares the confidence of his compatriots doing business at FAB that both governments would conduct an open probe of the case and that it would not happen again.

Su said his government has not issued any notice to pull out from FAB. He said the garment plant, which has 213 workers, mostly women, is exporting its products to the United States, South American countries and Taiwan.

Fashion Textile 21 is one of seven Taiwanese factories operating in the FAB.

Luis Gonzales, municipal administrator of Mariveles, told The STAR that Taiwanese at FAB are enjoying their stay in the freeport. – With Raffy Viray